A conventional surgical scalpel comprises a reusable, sterilisable handle having a tang at one end on which a replaceable slotted blade is mounted. The handle is intended to be used repeatedly, but the blade is normally discarded after each instance of use. Some operations may require several blades to be used successively on the same handle, e.g. where the blades become dull or contaminated, or a different style of blade is required at different stages of the operation.
To remove the blade from the handle, the heel portion of the slotted blade must be bent out of its plane (i.e. transversely to the handle), and then moved axially along the tang so that the heel portion rides over the tang thereby releasing the tang from the slot.
Manual removal of the blade can be difficult, particularly when the scalpel is wet. With the ever increasing spread of blood transmitted diseases, the removal is also a dangerous procedure as any accidental injury from the blade can have life-threatening ramifications.
Many devices have been developed in an effort to facilitate the removal of the blade from the scalpel, and to render the removal procedure less dangerous. Examples of such devices can be found in Australian patent application no. 64111/90, European patent publications 34949 and 569233, Soviet patent specification 1648408, German patent specification 3150904, British patent specifications 1596199 and 2033819, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,172,316, 3,825,990, 4,106,620, 4,120,397, 4,168,777, 4,180,162, 4,244,094, 4,270,416, 4,318,473, 4,344,532, 4,378,624, 4,386,457, 4,395,807, 4,466,539, 4,730,376, 4,736,844, 4,903,390, 4,998,334, 5,035,703, 5,088,173, 5,163,553, 5,255,422 and 5,361,902. (The disclosures of these documents are incorporated herein by reference).
However, it has been found that most known devices have inherent problems or disadvantages. Some require two-handed operation (e.g. those described in GB 1596199, U.S. Pat. No. 3,825,990, U.S. Pat. No. 244,094, U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,624, U.S. Pat. No. 730,376, U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,390, U.S. Pat. No. 5,088,173 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,553). Other devices require the user to bend, pivot or flex the scalpel handle to cause the blade to be dismounted (e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 1,648,408, U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,777, U.S. Pat. No. 4,270,416, U.S. Pat. No. 4,466,539, U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,844, U.S. Pat. No. 4,746,016 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,703). If the handle is not manoeuvred correctly, the blade may not be dislodged. The need to bend the handle in a predetermined, and sometimes complex, movement is frustrating for the surgeon or other user who is typically preoccupied with an operation in progress.
Other devices have a static formation which flexes the blade relative to the handle so that the blade is removed from the tang when the handle is withdrawn (e.g. EP 34949 and GB 2033819). However, in such devices, the handle must be inserted with sufficient force to overcome the resistance caused by the flexing of the blade, and the devices are otherwise awkward to use. Further, some of the known devices are suitable only for particular types of scalpel handles.
European patent publication 569233 describes a scalpel blade remover in which the scalpel is inserted vertically. A bifurcated ramp inside the device causes the scalpel handle to move sideways so that the blade is dislodged from the handle by abutting against the edge of the ramp. However, the successful operation of this device requires that the scalpel handle be held firmly in a vertical direction while it is pushed down by the user, and moved laterally along the ramp, thereby requiring careful and accurate control of the scalpel handle.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a scalpel blade remover which overcomes or ameliorates one or more of the abovedescribed disadvantages, or which at least provides the consumer with a useful choice.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a scalpel blade remover which permits simple, safe and reliable one-handed operation.